Savannah Christian earns trip to Columbus for Elite Eight

Photo by Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News Savannah Christian shortstop Madison Young takes a cut against Aquinas pitcher Kallen Leeseberg in the first game of a two game sweep by the Raiders Wednesday.

Savannah Christian’s Brooke Eichenlaub and Kasey Hart are cousins who have been playing softball together since they were 5 years old. On Wednesday, the juniors played key roles as the host Raiders swept Aquinas of Augusta in the first round of the Class A Private School playoffs.

Contributions came from throughout the roster as the Raiders rolled to an 8-0 win in the first game, followed by a dominating 13-2 victory in the night cap.

Eichenlaub, the Raiders’ No. 1 pitcher and cleanup hitter, threw a one-hitter in the first game, shutting down Aquinas after the first batter of the game lofted a single to left field. After that, the right-hander was in control as she struck out eight batters without issuing a walk.

Hart, a slick-fielding second baseman who bats second, was 1-for-1 in the first game with a pair of stolen bases and two runs scored. She sparked the offense in the second game by going 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and four RBIs.

“I was mixing in a little of everything,” said Eichenlaub, who improved to 14-2. “I was trying to work the batters inside and then work the outside of the plate. I was locating the fastball, and then I threw in some offspeed stuff, too. It’s been a great experience playing with Kasey. We made it to Columbus (for the Elite Eight of the state playoffs) as freshmen, and we had the whole family there. Now we get a chance to do it again, and we hope this year is even more special.”

Since the GHSA split the public and private schools in the revamped Class A playoff system, the Raiders’ sweep earned the team a spot in the Elite Eight. In the old format with publics and privates combined, a 32-team bracket was used. Now the private schools and public schools have separate 16-team brackets.

Savannah Christian will face the winner of Athens Christian/Strong Rock Christian in the next round, in a game set for Oct. 25 in Columbus.

“We have come together and played as a team this season,” Hart said. “We’ve got a lot of leadership with seven juniors and four seniors. It’s been amazing being able to play with my cousin (Eichenlaub). We’ve been playing together forever, and we push each other. I hope we can win it all this year.”

The Raiders improved to 24-5-1 this season as the offense caught fire. Catcher Jordie Smith was 4 for 7 with two RBIs. Her two-run single ended the first game by the mercy rule. Third baseman Taylor Smith had a pair of doubles and an RBI in the second game. Shortstop Madison Young had a great day at the plate. She was 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles and four RBIs in the first game and added another run-scoring double in the second game in two at-bats.

Senior Isabel Jiran pitched the second game for the Raiders and struck out eight while allowing three hits and two runs. In the fifth inning, the Raiders sent 10 batters to the plate and got four doubles in a row from Hart, Taylor Smith, Eichenlaub and Young.

“Once we started to get the bats going, it was contagious,” said Young, a junior.

First-year coach Brooke McMillan is happy to be the leader of a team with the potential to make a deep playoff run.

“It’s a team effort; the girls just feed off each other,” McMillan said. “The top half of the lineup gets it done and the bottom half follows them. Brooke (Eichenlaub) did a great job pitching today; she seems to like the pressure of the playoffs. This has been a great group of girls to work with. They come from great families and a great school, and they are all very hard workers. You can’t ask for anything more as a coach.”